The human brain and spinal cord are covered with meningeal membranes, the integrity of which is critical to the operation of the central nervous system. When the integrity of a person's meningeal membranes is intentionally or accidentally compromised, serious consequences may ensue, unless the membranes can be repaired. The meningeal membrane comprises three overlapping layers of tissue, which are in order from outside to inside, the dura mater (or dura), the arachnoid and the pia mater. Repairing damaged meningeal membranes has largely focused on implantable and/or resorbable constructs, known as dural substitutes, which are grafted to the damaged dura mater and are designed to replace and/or regenerate the damaged tissue.
While dural substitutes are effective in covering and repairing damaged dura mater, the conventional dural substitutes can be relatively fragile. For example, conventional hydrated dural substitutes can be formed of a porous, sponge-like collagen structure. During handling or manipulation of these dural substitutes, the substitutes can be inadvertently pulled or placed under sufficient tension to create tears in the collagen structure, thereby destroying the dural substitute.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a dural substitute having improved stiffness characteristics that allows for handling of the dural substitute while minimizing the risk of tearing the substitute.